


Jimmy the Vampire Slayer

by SiroccointheSand



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Bully (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:42:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28276263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiroccointheSand/pseuds/SiroccointheSand
Summary: Jimmy Hopkins is the Hellmouth's latest guardian, but does he want the job? A re-write of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Jimmy as the lead.





	Jimmy the Vampire Slayer

**Author's Note:**

> Having a bit of fun bending vampire slayer lore here. Jimmy has a lot in common with Buffy, the whole ‘fish out of water/high school is hell’ metaphor present in Buffy is present enough in Bully that I’ve been inspired to write this. Set post-game, and a prequel is being written as well, turning Bully more demon-y to fit the lore: think the Bully video game with elements of Joss’ original Buffy movie script, the Origin comic book plus the follow ups to Origin that took place in Vegas/the mental hospital before Buffy and Joyce moved to Sunnydale.

**_England, The Dark Ages_ **

_Thunder crashed in the night outside as an older man in robes and a freckle-faced teenage nobleman sat across from each other at a small, ornate marble table. They were in a drawing-room on an upper floor in a dreary castle. They could hear a commotion downstairs, sometimes being amplified by the storm raging outside, other times the storm muffling it. The sounds of screaming, sadistic laughter, crashing, and tearing were audible and terrifying. The boy looked at the door with apprehension. It was bolted shut, and they were safe for now. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for whoever was downstairs._

_“You must be wrong!” The boy said, his brow furrowed in discontent._

_“The signs all point to it; you are the chosen one,” The older man said. He was dressed in fine robes and had the serious demeanor of someone who was a scholar but could also handle himself in combat. His presence intimidated the boy a little bit. The boy was accustomed to ruling his own roost, so to speak. He wasn't prepared for something outside of his own dominion to be coming at him like this. His existence had been quite sheltered, and now he was suddenly about to be a tiny fish in a huge, piranha-filled pond._

_“This cannot be true! You said, according to your myths, the slayer is ALWAYS female! I’m a boy! I cannot be your hero!” The boy shouted. The man frowned._

_“Do you not feel the power? Yes, you being called is an anomaly; some would even call it an abomination. The people that call it that, however, are very ignorant. It has been observed a few times in the past - it begins, rather-”_

_A heavy thud banged against the door, and the boy darted backward against the wall behind him. The man drew an ornate wooden stake, ready for combat with whatever hellish beast was on the other side._

_“Do not fret, my child, I did not come to hurt ye,” A voice calls from outside. The boy sank to his knees, drawing his head into his knees, and the older man could hear sobs coming from him. The older man sighed, knowing he was about to face certain death because his slayer wasn't ready. Maybe the next one called would be different. Maybe the next one called would make it past their first night slaying._

_“Your family was not scared; they died nobly. Will you do the same, boy?” The voice questioned. The boy looked up, suddenly full of righteous anger. He suddenly felt the power, passed down through generations. He rose to his feet, strong and confident, a burning need to kill whatever was on the other side of that door._

_“Demons walked this earth before man, and the slayer was created to fight them. They alone have the strength and skill to stop their heinous evil. Trained by the watcher, one slayer dies, and the next is chosen.”_

_“And I shall be his sword,” The boy responded. He knew what he had to do. He looked at the older man and nodded; the knight then handed him the ornate wooden stake._

_“Let Satan tremble. The Slayer is born,” Knight said. The door snapped off its hinges at that moment, flying across the room and ending its journey at the opposite wall, not far from where the knight and boy were standing. Not missing a beat and with a primal scream, the boy lunged at whatever hellish creature was awaiting him on the other side._

* * *

**_Sunnydale, San Andreas, The Lite Ages_ **

Jimmy Hopkins tossed and turned in his bed. A storm raged outside in the seemingly peaceful, quiet beach town of Sunnydale, San Andreas. It also raged inside the brain of the teenage boy as well. His brow was furrowed, and sweat was beading on his forehead. This wasn't the first dream he had like this, but they were getting more frequent lately. The flashes kept coming, but they were less coherent now. The ' _let Satan tremble'_ dream was practically one of his brain's greatest hits. It cycled through when he wasn't dreaming of being on a beach somewhere with Candy Suxxx and Bruce Spade. 

_Mr. Galloway dying in his arms. Gary’s face as they crashed through the skylight. Gary’s face in Happy Volts asylum as they battled their own personal demons and a real one. The look on Zoe’s face on her motorcycle as she left him in Atlantic City. The burning gym, the UFO, greasers, jocks, and nerds. Petey, the boy that could have been his best friend if Jimmy hadn't been such an asshole. They were all replaced now. The dead were rising from graves and walking through an open field. A figure sitting on what looked to be a throne, a horrible visage of vampirism on his pale face. A terrifying growl emanating from the mouth full of sharp teeth and-_

He was chalking it up to stress now that the school year was starting; maybe the violence in them mirrored the violence he would be facing at school. He wasn't happy that he had been taken away from Bullworth just as he had gotten everything under control. Despite his expulsion being taken away, his mother had not been pleased when she found out what all had transpired, or at least with the lies he had told to cover up the truth.

What could he tell her? That he was the latest in a long line of vampire slayers and was thrust into a world where he was in way over his head? That one of the only friends he had made while in Bullworth turned out to be a demon that turned the student body and administration against him? Mr. Galloway, the man that was supposed to be his mentor, his teacher, his watcher, the only decent father figure in his life, had sacrificed himself to save Jimmy? Jimmy couldn't say any of that to her, so he ran away with Zoe on the back of her motorcycle. They got as far as Atlantic City before they were found. Jimmy had been able to finagle them jobs in a casino. Zoe was starting to have second thoughts about running away, but Jimmy was hard-pressed for them to start their lives together. Zoe wanted to get away from the slaying, but it turned out Jimmy's boss' were a pair of Siamese twin vampires, and that proved to be too much. She called the cops after Jimmy slew them, and she went back home. The cops took Jimmy back to Bullworth, and his mom, fearing for her son's mental health and her latest marriage crumbling, put him in Happy Volts Asylum while she sorted things out.

Jimmy woke as he heard his mom’s voice call from downstairs. His heartbeat was racing as he took in his surroundings. He was in his new bedroom; Not in an old castle in what seemed like a favorite slayer dream, not an underground church that he had also been seeing in his dreams, not in a cemetery, not in a burning gym, not crashing through Dr. Crabblesnitch’s skylight with a murderous Gary in tow. He was a long way from Bullworth Academy. He was now in Sunnydale, San Andreas. 

_And how sunny it is,_ Jimmy thought, a bit miserably. He was an east coast kid at heart. He hoped they would move back to Liberty City after everything happened, but his mother had caught his new stepfather in flagrante delicto with a cabana girl on their honeymoon. So she took him for half of everything he owned, and that included a small art gallery and a house in small-town Sunnydale, San Andreas. 

_It’s a fresh start, she_ had said, _away from all the bad influences of New England._

 _And very far away from the guilt, you felt putting me in that asylum,_ Jimmy thought. She was considerably nicer to him now than she had been after he had run off, been brought back home in handcuffs, and she had put him in the asylum. Something about accidentally sending your child into the care of a murderous mad doctor humbles a parent, but that's a story for another day. She still avoided eye contact. Jimmy wondered how long it would last, how long it would take her to forget how close she had come to the truth. 

There was light streaming through the curtains, and he could hear his mother’s voice more clearly now. Jimmy groaned.

“Jimmy? Are you awake?” Geneva Hopkins called. She had retaken his father’s last name, much to his own chagrin. 

“I’m up, mom,” Jimmy responded, voice a bit hoarse. It had been a month since he had left Happy Volts, but the nightmares hadn’t subsided. If anything, they had grown worse, like whatever higher power that put them there was angry at him for shirking his slayer duties. He hadn't fought any demons since he left Happy Volts. He was retired, one in a generation be damned. The Watcher's Council, the people that Mr. Galloway had spoken so highly of, hadn't picked up Jimmy's calls when the older man died. They didn't try to find him in Atlantic City. They didn't try and get him out of the asylum. They had abandoned him, so he was doing the same. Fuck his calling. He was in control of his own destiny, not some bad dreams about monsters that were probably long dead.

“Come on, Jimmy, don’t want to be late for your first day of school,” Geneva Hopkins called up the stairs. His heartbeat was slowing to a normal pace now, he watched the ceiling fan above spin, and the rhythm of it comforted him.

“No, wouldn’t want that,” Jimmy groaned softly. After lying there for a moment, he dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom.

An hour later, Jimmy was in the passenger’s seat of his mom’s car, pulling up to his new school. He had turned down his mom’s offer to tour the campus before he started. More guilt from her for essentially dumping him into the lion’s den that was Bullworth. They stopped, and Jimmy quickly pulled his backpack over his shoulder, but his mom put her hand on his other shoulder to stop him. 

“Jimmy…” He could tell she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t get the words out.

“I know,” He said and squeezed the hand on his shoulder, “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” She said, nodding and pulled her hand away. Jimmy smiled briefly, then pulled himself out of the car, looking around. Looked like a school in San Andreas, alright. The mania of the slang being tossed around, kids on skateboards, baggy jeans, and surfer's hair. Jimmy suddenly felt like a fish out of water. 

_But it feels safe. These kids look normal._ He thought. 

“Oh, Jimmy?” His mom said out the open passenger window. 

“Yeah?” Jimmy asked, suddenly distracted by a shaggy, brunet dude coming towards him, rather badly riding a skateboard. They made eye contact for a brief moment, and Jimmy cringed as the boy ended up crashing into the hand-rails of the steps in front of him.

“Try not to get kicked out?” She meant it as a joke. Something that would break the tension between them that had been there for the past year. He heard the wavering in her voice, the desperation for absolution for screwing up so badly. He leaned back into the window and gave her his best shit-eating grin that almost broke when he saw that tears had welled up in her eyes.

“I promise,” He said, trying to keep his own emotions in check. She smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes, and sped off. She hadn’t tried to embarrass him, which was something he was grateful for. He yelled after her car.

“Yeah, I love you too, have a good day, sweetie!” 

It drew laughter from the small crowd in the drop-off area. Jimmy gave them another winning grin.

“They grow up so fast,” He said deadpan, drawing a few more polite chuckles, including one from a lovely leggy brunette who was pulling her hair into a high ponytail. He stopped for a moment to take in her beauty, then headed up the steps onto the quad. The campus was smaller than Bullworth, he observed. He must have looked out of place because a tall, lanky boy approached him as he entered the building.

“Hey, you look lost,” The boy said and smiled. He was taller than Jimmy, which wasn’t a hard feat, truth be told. Jimmy had grown a couple of inches over the summer but now stood at 5’7. The boy had a broken nose, but a friendly smile told Jimmy this school would probably be different.

“Is it that obvious? I’m looking for the principal’s office,” Jimmy said. The boy smiled again and pointed him in the right direction. Jimmy quickly set off to his destination.

“Willow, so very much the person I wanted to see,” Xander Harris said, recovered from his spill on his skateboard. He was walking up the steps into the school behind Jimmy after running into his redheaded best friend. Willow Rosenberg smiled, tucking her long red locks behind her ear. 

“Really?” She asked coyly. Sure, she knew Xander probably wouldn’t confess his undying love for her right then, but excited to see her? That was a start.

“Yeah,” Xander said quickly, “I kind of had a problem with the math.”

Willow’s face fell. At least Xander was consistent.

“Which part?”

“The math. Can you help me tonight? Please be my study buddy?”

Willow perked up again. Well, at least they’d get a chance to hang out tonight.

“What’s in it for me?” She asked.

“A shiny nickel,” Xander replied. 

“Okay, do you have “Theories in Trig”? You should check it out.”

“Check it out?” Xander asked lamely.

Willow raised an eyebrow.

“From the library, where the books live?”

“Right. I’m there, see; I _want_ to change,” Xander said as they walked into the building. Jesse McNally, the friendly boy who helped Jimmy, spotted them and headed over, high-fiving Xander as a greeting.

“Hey, Jesse, what’s what?” Xander asked. 

“New kid,” Jesse replied. Xander nodded.

“I saw. He seems a bit...cro mag?” Xander said, pointing at his own forehead. Willow slapped him on the shoulder.

“Ow,” Xander said, rubbing his shoulder.

“Well, that’s what you get for insulting someone you don’t know. But yeah, I heard someone was transferring.”

“I was gonna say he also seemed funny,” Xander said, glaring at Willow, still rubbing his shoulder but only for effect. Willow rolled her eyes.

“Were you also going to follow that up with _funny looking_?” Willow asked, then regretted her choice of words when Xander smirked at her. He had led her into a trap.

“So what’s the sitch? What do you know about him,” Xander spoke again, this time turning his attention to Jesse, who shrugged.

“New kid,” He said as they made their way to their homeroom. 

“Well, you’re certainly a font of nothing,” Xander quipped, throwing an arm around Willow. Willow frowned a little. 

_I wonder if the rumors of him getting kicked out of his old school are true?_ She wondered. She wasn’t about to share that information with the two guys she was walking to class with, and they were bigger gossips than she was. Actually, Willow wasn’t a gossip at all. Xander and Jesse, on the other hand…

* * *

Jimmy sat across from the principal with apprehension. The man seemed much nicer than Dr. Crabblesnitch if a bit scatterbrained. He seemed to be taking a new-age approach with students. Jimmy personally wasn’t a proponent of touchy-feely crap, but if it would keep the administration off his back, he didn’t mind. 

“So, Jimmy Hopkins. Sophomore, late of Bullworth Academy in Connecticut, quite a record,” Principal Flutie said, as Jimmy stared at him with apprehension. Why did he have a pit in his stomach? There was nothing in that file he hadn’t heard before. Jimmy’s eyes widened as Principal Flutie tore up the folder he was reading out of.

“A clean slate, that’s what you get here. What’s past is past. We’re not interested in what it says on a piece of paper, even if it says,” Principal Flutie looked at one of the pieces he was still holding and frowned, “Oh.”

“Principal Flutie,” Jimmy started but was cut off.

“All the kids here are free to call me Bob,” Principal Flutie said absentmindedly, taping the pieces of paper back together.

“Bob…” Jimmy said, raising an eyebrow.

“But they don’t,” Principal Flutie finished. 

“Principal Flutie. Look, okay. I know my transcripts are...eye-catching,” Jimmy didn’t even believe what he was spewing at this point. 

“Hey, we’re not caring about that...do you think ‘eye catching’ is the right phrase? Not ‘terrible and felonious’?”

“It wasn’t that bad?” Jimmy tried. Principal Flutie squinted his eyes in confusion.

“You _burned down_ _the_ _gym_ ,” Principal Flutie said, frowning again.

“That wasn’t me. Actually, I just couldn’t prove that it was mons..serious health code violations. Like rats!” Jimmy said, shaking his head. 

“Rats?” Principal Flutie asked. 

“That’s what the fire marshall said,” Jimmy said and smiled. It wasn’t as winning as it had been with the students outside.

“Jimmy...we don’t care about that. Other schools may say, ‘watch your step,’ or ‘we’ll be watching you, or possibly ‘if you go anywhere near the gym with a book of matches, you’ll be doing time in Gitmo,’ but that’s just not the Sunnydale way. We want to service your needs and help you respect our needs. And if your needs and our needs mesh…”

Jimmy walked out of the principal’s office, rummaging through his bag to find his class schedule. It hadn’t really been a productive talk, but he had other worries at the moment, like where the hell was his History class? Evidently, the best place to do that wasn’t in the middle of the hallway he had just blundered into blindly because he walked into a couple and ended up dumping his bag all over the floor.

“Shit,” He said as he began picking his stuff up off the floor, flipping the couple off who had now begun hurrying away from him instead of helping him pick his stuff up like normal people.

“Really? Cowards,” Jimmy muttered. 

_Okay, maybe not much different than Bullworth after all._ Jimmy thought as he started stuffing his stuff back into his bag. The boy with the skateboard and shaggy locks from earlier squatted down next to him and began handing him his stuff.

“Yeah, I guess southern hospitality didn’t extend this far west,” The boy said, smiling at Jimmy. Jimmy laughed humorlessly, and they began stuffing pencils, pens, and notebooks back into his bag.

“Somehow, still better than my last school. Say, y’all don’t have some kind of underground fight club in the basement here do you?” Jimmy asked. Xander looked at Jimmy with apprehension, then shook his head.

“No, but I have this theory that’s where they hatch all the eggs they give us for health class. You’re new, right? I’m Xander,” He said, extending his hand. Jimmy smirked and shook it.

“Jimmy. And that’s a shame. There used to be this boxing club a couple of miles from my old school, a great place to blow off steam,” Jimmy said, reminiscing about one of the few things he missed about Bullworth.

“Boxing, huh? That’s…a very masculine sport. Done a little bit of boxing in my day. Actually just had a lot of Boxing Days in my life,” Xander babbled. Jimmy seemed friendly, sure. But there was this really rough demeanor about him. It made him seem cool. Xander was suddenly very aware of his own insecurities in his own masculinity, and his face grew hot. He felt a heat in his stomach when Jimmy looked at him as well. 

“Well, thanks for the help. I’ll see you around,” Jimmy said, standing up. He quickly began heading in the direction he hoped was his History class. Xander stood up and watched him go.

“Yeah, maybe at school, since we both go there,” Xander said, finishing lamely and quietly.

“We both go to school, very suave, very not pathetic,” He lamented. He watched Jimmy bend over again to tie his shoe, and after looking around to make sure no one could see him do it, Xander took in the view.

 _Nice butt,_ he thought. He heard a door open and saw a student scurry out of the restroom. Xander cleared his throat and looked down like he hadn’t been ogling another dude’s derriere and saw something Jimmy had left behind on the floor. He picked it up and called after Jimmy, who was now long gone.

“Hey, wait, you forgot your - stake?” Xander said, clutching the wooden shaft in his hands, then staring at it in confusion. 

_What the hell?_ Xander thought. 

* * *

Thankfully his history teacher didn’t make him introduce himself to the class. He just had him take the seat next to the leggy brunette he was eyeing earlier in front of the school. He took out a notebook. He could at least pretend to be a good student after all. In fact, he was a good student when he applied himself. He was smart, in fact. Maybe he wouldn't have to pretend.

Mrs. Strauss began speaking, and Jimmy started taking notes.

“It’s estimated that twenty-five million people died in that one-year span. But the fun part of the Black Plague is that it originated in Europe; how? As an early form of germ warfare. If you look at the map on page sixty-three, you can trace the spread of the disease…”

Jimmy froze. He didn’t have a book. How dumb was he? Did he really not get any textbooks before he went to class? The leggy brunette sitting next to him saw his distress and leaned over with her textbook, smiling. Jimmy mouthed a ‘thank you,’ smiling at her as they looked at the map together. 

“And this popular plague led to what social changes, Steve?” Mrs. Strauss said, pointing to a kid in the back. Before he could answer, however, the bell rang. Everyone started grabbing their stuff and heading out the door as Mrs. Strauss dismissed them. 

The leggy brunette stood up and shook Jimmy’s hand.

“Hi, I’m Cordelia Chase,” She said, smiling.

“Jimmy Hopkins,” Jimmy said, smiling flirtatiously. 

“If you’re looking for a textbook of your very own, there’s probably a few in the library,” Cordelia said as they exited the classroom.

“Thanks, though I’m a little directionally challenged. Where is that?” He asked. 

“I’ll show you, come on. So you’re from Bullworth, right, in Connecticut? I heard that school’s pretty rough,” Cordelia said, looking at Jimmy a little cautiously. Jimmy nodded. 

“It was definitely interesting. I’m sure I met some future white-collar criminals,” Jimmy said, and Cordelia laughed.

“I’d say you won’t meet that type here, but I’d be lying. You’ll be ok here, though. If you hang with me and mine, you’ll be accepted in no time. Though I do have some questions for you first,” Cordelia said, grinning. 

“Fire away.”

“Girlfriend?,” Cordelia asked. Jimmy raised an eyebrow. This was going much quicker than anticipated.

“Nope,” Jimmy said, feeling a little pang in his chest as the memory of Zoe speeding off without him came to the surface.

“Boyfriend?” She asked again, a small smile playing across her face. Surprisingly though, no hint of malice there.

“Two of them, actually. Ben and Jerry, and they’re gonna leave their ice cream empire to me,” Jimmy answered, deadpan. Cordelia laughed.

“A man after my own heart and waistline by the sound of it. Ice cream is a universal language, I swear. And thanks for not getting offended by that question. Most guys get a little freaked out when you ask them if they’re gay,” Cordelia said. Jimmy smirked.

“Well, I’m not like most guys,” Jimmy said, then frowned at what it sounded like he said.

“Uh-huh. Well, while you figure out that sexual orientation conundrum, I’m gonna quench my thirst,” Cordelia said as they approached a water fountain. A skinny girl with very long, straight red hair and a conservative dress was getting a drink. Cordelia seemed familiar with her, and Jimmy was weirdly excited to be introduced to people.

“Willow, nice dress. Good to know you’ve seen the softer side of Sears,” Cordelia snarked. Jimmy frowned at her. 

_Jeez, even Mandy wasn’t this mean,_ He thought. He saw the hopeful glint of a popular girl being nice to Willow vanish from her eyes and watched her shrink back into herself. Willow tugged at the hemline of her dress.

“M-my mom picked it out,” She said lamely. Cordelia rolled her eyes.

“No wonder you’re such a guy magnet. Are you done?” Cordelia snarked, nodding towards the water fountain. Willow muttered a quick oh and walked away quickly, disappearing behind some double doors. Jimmy frowned in concern as she walked away.

 _Great. The one friend I seem to have made here, and she’s not only mean, but she’s also somehow sensed I play for both teams._ Jimmy thought. He wasn’t sure why it scared him. It’s not like anyone here could hurt him. But he wanted a shot at a normal existence. Not being the only openly bisexual kid in school. He could outrun being the Slayer, but his orientation? Not so much.

Cordelia sipped from the water fountain then stood back up. 

“You wanna fit in here? The first rule is ‘know your losers.’ Once you can identify them all by sight, they’ll be a lot easier to avoid,” Cordelia advised. Jimmy nodded, still unhappy. They walked through the halls, Cordelia talking a mile a minute until they reached another large pair of double doors with a sign saying “Library” above them. He was pretty sure he only understood the words ‘tasty’, ‘frappuccino,’ and ‘James Spader,’ all of which he nodded in agreement with.

“...and if you’re not too busy catching up, you should come by the Bronze tonight,” Cordelia finished as Jimmy snapped out of his reverie.

“The who?” Jimmy asked, suddenly aware that he should be paying attention. 

“The Bronze, it’s the only club worth going to in this town, but it’s still the scene. It’s in the bad part of town,” Cordelia said.

“Where’s that?”

“About half a mile from the good part of town, we don’t have a whole lot of town here,” Cordelia said, chuckling a little self-deprecatingly at the last part.

“Well, I’ll try, thanks.”

“Cool. I’ll see you at gym, and you can tell me everything there is to know about you,” Cordelia said, whipping her ponytail around as she strutted away. God help him. This girl was gonna be _trouble_.

“Oh, that sounds like _fun_ ,” Jimmy muttered as he walked into the library. It was large, two staircases went up into stacks, and there was a very nice oak table in the middle of the room with a computer at the very end. If Jimmy were a big reader, he might actually enjoy spending time here. 

“Hello?” Jimmy called as he walked towards the counter.

“Is anybody here?” He asked to no one in particular. There was a newspaper on the counter. The Sunnydale Gazette blazed in bold lettering on the top. There was an article circled towards the bottom, headline reading: ‘Local Boys Still Missing.’ Jimmy was reading it when a hand touched him on the shoulder and about made him jump out of his own skin. He turned around to face a bespectacled man in a tweed suit, staring curiously at him.

“Ooh. Anybody’s here,” Jimmy said as his heart slowed down to its normal pace.

“Can I help you?” The man spoke in a pleasant British accent.

“I’m looking for some...well, books. I’m new,” Jimmy said. The librarian nodded and headed behind the counter.

“Mr. Hopkins,” He said, pursuing under the counter for what Jimmy assumed to be his textbooks.

“The one and only, guess I’m the only new kid, huh?” Jimmy said as the man shot him a smile that made him uneasy and continued to look under the counter.

“Yes, I’m Mr. Giles, the librarian. I was told you would be coming.”

“Great, so I’m taking Eurocentric History, and I’m gonna need-”

“I know what you’re after,” Mr. Giles said, and Jimmy could hear the excitement in his voice. It sounded eerily familiar, and he had seen the man's face before as well. Where though? A brief flash of memory of a photograph on Mr. Galloway's desk. 

_What_... 

Mr. Giles pulled a book out and placed it on the counter, grinning in excitement. It was ancient, and the cover looked more like stone than it did leather, and it read ‘Vampyr.’ Jimmy’s heart fell to his stomach, and he looked up at the older man.

“...That’s not what I’m looking for,” He said, backing away slowly. Mr. Giles frowned and furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Are you sure?” He asked. Jimmy tried to look anywhere but at the book and was failing.

“I’m way sure,” He managed to grunt. This wasn’t happening again. He wasn’t gonna be the Slayer anymore. He left the monsters behind.

“My mistake,” Giles said, putting the book away in confusion, “Now what did you say you were-” He started, but Jimmy had already bolted out of the library.

Meanwhile, two of Cordelia’s friends were heading to their lockers to change for gym in the girls' locker room. They were itching for new gossip, and Jimmy was the topic of discussion.

“So the new kid? He seems kind of weird to me. I mean...besides the caveman brow,” Aphrodesia said. 

“Well, the chatter in the caf is that he got kicked out of his old school, and his mom is a gold-digging tramp who just divorced her husband, and that’s why they had to move here. That art gallery on Sunset? It’s hers now. She got it in the divorce,” Aura said, tossing her hair back as she opened her locker.

“Neg,” Aphrodesia said. 

“Pos, he was starting fights.”

“Negly.”

“Well, I heard it from Blue, and she saw the transcripts-” Aura was cut off when something huge fell out of her locker. It was a dead body of a vaguely recognizable young man. The dead, blank eyes stared into her soul as he tumbled to the floor. She started screaming, and she didn’t think she would ever stop.

Willow sat in the courtyard, pulling a brown-bagged lunch out of her backpack. She was excited for tonight; she had made plans to see Xander at The Bronze and study. Well, they had made plans; she wasn’t entirely sure he was planning on following through with them. She was about to bite into her sandwich when the boy with Cordelia earlier approached her.

“Hey,” Jimmy said, “Willow, right?”

“Why? I mean, hi. I mean...did you want me to move?” Willow asked, again, lamely. Jimmy smiled and shook his head.

“Why don’t we start with ‘Hi, I’m Jimmy,’ then segue directly into me asking you for a favor. It doesn’t involve moving, but it does involve hanging out with me for a while,” He flashed what he hoped was a winning smile and got a raised eyebrow in response.

“Aren’t you already _hanging out_ with Cordelia?” Willow asked, amused.

“I can’t do both?” Jimmy asked. Willow shook her head.

“Not legally.” 

Jimmy laughed.

“Look, I just wanna get by here. New school and all, Cordelia’s been nice...to me, anyway,” He said, shaking his head, “But if I fail out of my classes, my mom will skin me alive, and I was told you were the person to talk to if I wanna get caught up.”

Willow’s face lit up.

“I could TOTALLY help you out. I...do you have sixth period free? We could meet in the library.”

Warning sirens went off in Jimmy’s brain.

“Or not,” He said quickly, “We could meet someplace quiet-louder. That place creeps me out.”

“It has that effect on a lot of kids. I love it though, it’s a great collection, and the new librarian is REALLY cool.”

“He’s new,” Jimmy asked, his suspicions starting to be confirmed. The man in the photo with Lionel, younger than he was now. Arm tossed around Mr. Galloway's shoulders, both with big grins on their faces. 

“Yeah! He used to be a curator for a British museum, or maybe it was the British Museum, I’m not sure. But he brought all these historical volumes and biographies, and am I the single dullest person alive?” Willow asked as she heard what was coming out of her mouth and saw Jimmy’s eyes start to glaze over. Jimmy shook his head.

“Not even,” He said, smiling. Xander and Jesse approached and greeted them. 

“Hey, are you guys busy? Are we interrupting? We’re interrupting,” Xander said. 

“Hey,” Jimmy said, nodding at the boys who helped him this morning, grateful to see more friendly faces. 

“Hey there,” Jesse said

“Jimmy, this is Jesse, and that’s Xander,” Willow said.

“Oh, Jimmy and I go way back, old friends, very close. Then there was that period of estrangement where I think we were growing as people, but here we are again, and it feels like old times. I’m quite moved,” Xander babbled. Jimmy raised an eyebrow.

“Is it just me, or are you a babbling idiot?” Jesse snarked. Xander shook his head.

“No, er, it’s not you,” Xander said.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you again, I think…” Jimmy said, making a face at Willow, who quietly smiled.

“Well, we wanted to welcome you, make you feel at home. Unless you have a scary home,” Jesse offered. Jimmy was starting to like these kids. 

“And to return this,” Xander said, reaching into his bag and pulling out Jimmy’s stake. Jimmy’s eyes bulged out of his head for a hot second while taking it back from Xander. Jesse and Willow stared at him in confusion.

“All I can think is that you’re building a _very_ little fence,” Xander said. 

_Shit_.

“No, it was for self-defense. My last school had an infestation,” Jimmy said before he could stop himself.

_SHIT._

“Of _what_?” Jesse said, staring at Jimmy like he had grown a third head.

“Enormous sewer rats,” Jimmy muttered, stuffing the stake back into his backpack. The three friends looked at each other.

“So...besides killing large sewer rats, what do you like to do for fun? What do you look for in a ma-woman, come on, let’s hear it,” Xander said. 

“Any dark, painful secrets you’d like us to publish?” Jesse added.

“Gee, everyone wants to know about me. How keen,” Jimmy said, smiling blandly.

“Well, not a lot of stuff happens in a one-Starbucks-town like Sunnydale; you’re big news.”

“I’m not, really,” Jimmy said. The awkward moment was thankfully interrupted by Cordelia approaching, looking a bit disturbed. 

“Are these guys bothering you?” Cordelia asked, looking at the group with disdain, particularly Willow. Jimmy suddenly realized there wasn't much space between him and Willow, and Willow seemed to realize the 

“He wasn’t hanging out with us,” Willow said. Jesse stood up and stood next to Cordelia. 

“Hey Cordelia,” He said, looking her over. Cordelia rolled her eyes and put a hand in his face.

“Oh, please. I don’t mean to interrupt your downward mobility; I just wanted to tell you that you won’t be meeting Coach Foster, the woman with the chest hair,” Cordelia said, motioning to her chest and cringing, “Thanks to the extreme dead guy in the locker.”

“What?” Jimmy said, and he could feel the color draining from his face.

“What are you talking about?” Willow asked, putting her lunch back in her bag.

“Some guy was stuffed in Aura’s locker,” Cordelia said, shaking her head.

“Dead,” Jimmy repeated.

_NO._

“Totally dead, way dead.”

“So not just a little dead then,” Xander snarked. Cordelia gave him a dirty look.

“Don’t you have an elsewhere to be?” She spat. 

“You know, if you need a shoulder to cry on, or just to nibble on,” Jesse said, putting his arm around Cordelia, and she quickly shrugged him off.

“How did he die?” Jimmy asked.

_I might as well rip the band-aid off. Rest in peace, social life._

“I don’t know; I didn’t ask,” Cordelia replied, raising an eyebrow at Jimmy’s question.

“Well, were there any marks?” 

“Morbid much?” Cordelia said a bit creeped out now. She was really hoping the first interesting new kid in a while wasn't a serial killer or something; he was quite cute.

_Great, now I’ve gotta find out for myself._

“Um...I’ve gotta book. I’ll see you guys later,” Jimmy said, avoiding eye contact and quickly leaving the courtyard.

“What’s his deal?” Cordelia asked no one in particular.

Jimmy walked down the hall towards the gym. 

“This is fine. People die all the time. People die at schools all the time. People just crawl into lockers and die of old age. This happens all the time. No vampires, no demons, just a normal town, and a normal school.”

Principal Flutie was walking out of the girl's locker room when Jimmy approached, and he quickly hid from sight behind a trophy case. Two cops exited behind him as well, and Jimmy caught a glimpse of the body underneath a sheet in front of the door. He watched Principal Flutie lock the door and waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps before approaching the locker room door. 

_Girl’s locker room...and I’m breaking in to look at a dead body. Why did I think this school was gonna be any different?_

Jimmy looked around to see if anyone was approaching or loitering in the halls. Finding them empty, he yanked the door open, the lock splintering and spilling onto the floor. Jimmy winced at the sound and looked around to see if anyone heard it, then quickly headed into the locker room.

The body was on the floor, under a white sheet. Jimmy stared at it for a moment and started hopping up and down, shaking his arms to psyche himself up. 

_C’mon Jimmy. It’s just a dead body. How many have you seen at this point? How many have you stuck wooden stakes in?_

“Alright,” Jimmy said, cracking his neck. He crouched down and pulled the sheet down. The body was facing up. The boy looked about nineteen years old, with dirty blond hair and some scruff on his chin. He was deathly pale, didn’t look like there was a drop of blood left in his body. Thankfully, the boy’s eyes had been closed. Jimmy sighed and leaned over to look at the neck. Yep, it was what he feared. There were two ghastly puncture wounds on the right side.

“Great! Just fucking wonderful,” Jimmy groaned. He stood back up, covered the body back up with the sheet, and after pressing his ear to the door to listen for anyone in the hallway, headed back out. There was only one person he had to see now, and he REALLY didn’t want to. 

Jimmy burst through the library doors. He was pissed. How dare this be happening on the first day? He had met nice people and exchanged mutual flirtations with the hottest chick in school, things were just starting to get better with his mom, and this starts happening again?

“Alright British guy, where the hell are you?” Jimmy said, storming through the library.

“I have a name and do not speak to me like that. Do you need something?” He heard a voice call from the stacks. Jimmy headed up the stairs and found the bespectacled man staring at him inquisitively.

“You heard about the dead guy, right? The dead guy in the locker? I don’t know if you know this, but he’s got two little-little holes in his neck, and all his blood has been drained. Isn’t that bizarre? Aren’t you just going _oh my tea and crumpets_ _pip pip cheerio_ ’”

“I can assure you I am not, though I was afraid of this,” Mr. Giles said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt.

“Oh, _you_ were afraid of this? It’s my first day! I was afraid I would be behind in all my classes, that I wouldn’t make any friends, that I would maybe accidentally break someone’s nose. I didn’t think there would be vampires on campus. And I don’t care,” Jimmy said, turning on his heel to walk out.

“Then why are you here?” Mr. Giles asked matter-of-factly, and Jimmy stopped dead in his tracks. _Damn it all to hell, I didn’t get that far practicing this in my head._

“To...tell you I don’t care. Which I have now done, so, bye now,” Jimmy tried to walk away again, but Mr. Giles spoke again.

“Will he rise again?” Mr. Giles asked.

“Huh?”

“The boy. Was he turned?”

“No, he was just dead,” Jimmy said, turning around and sighing. He really didn’t want to be talking about this, but he felt a tug in his chest that told him it was the right thing to do

“Can you be sure?”

“To make you a vampire, first they have to suck your blood, then you have to suck their blood, it’s like this whole big sucking thing mostly they’re just gonna kill you, and NO vampire is gonna leave someone they turned stuffed in a locker. There, now you know everything I know. See ya,” Jimmy said, turning around again and walking down the stairs. The Englishman continued to speak.

“Do you know what’s going on? Do you think it’s a coincidence, your coming here? That boy was just the beginning-”

“WHY can’t you people just leave me alone?” Jimmy groaned, turning again to face Mr. Giles, whose face was suddenly serious as he descended the stairs.

“Because you are the Slayer. Into each generation, a Slayer is born,” Mr. Giles began, and Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“Wow, you’re gonna do the speech and everything,” He murmured.

“One in all the world, a Chosen One-” Mr. Giles continued, but Jimmy cut him off.

“One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil blah blah, I’ve heard it okay? Not falling for the sales pitch again.”

“I don’t understand this attitude of yours. You’ve accepted your duty. You’ve slain vampires before.”

“Yeah, and I’ve been there, done that, and sent a postcard home.”

“What do you know about this town?” Mr. Giles suddenly asked, moving to a shelf of books beside the large oak table in the middle of the room.

“It’s about an hour on the freeway from indoor skydiving?” Jimmy smirked. Mr. Giles didn’t seem amused.

“Dig a bit into the history of this town. You’ll find a steady stream of odd occurrences. I believe this area to be a center of mystical energy. Things gravitate here that you might not find elsewhere.”

“Like vampires,” Jimmy finished. Mr. Giles began shoving books into Jimmy’s arms. Large tomes, like the ‘Vampyr’ one he had tried to give Jimmy earlier.

“Like zombies, werewolves, incubi, succubi, everything you dreaded under your bed, but you told yourself couldn’t be by the light of day. They’re all real.”

Jimmy shifted the books in his arms, the heft even a bit much for Slayer strength.

“Jesus, did you send away for the Time-Life series?” 

“Uh...yes,” Mr. Giles said, a bit embarrassed.

“Did you get the free phone?” 

“The calendar.”

“Cool...zombies, huh,” Jimmy said, momentarily sucked back in. He quickly shook the thoughts out of his head.

“Okay, first of all, I’m a _vampire_ slayer. Secondly, I’m retired. Here’s an idea. How about you kill them?” Jimmy said, putting the books down on the table behind them.

Xander, lost in a row of bookshelves trying to find ‘Theories in Trig’ who had been listening to this entire conversation, was now completely absorbed in eavesdropping on the conversation between the librarian and the new kid. However, he was having trouble believing what he heard. He finally found the book he was searching for. Pulling it out, he accidentally lost his grip on it, and it fell towards the floor. He snatched it out of the air, grateful his reflexes weren’t completely terrible. He didn’t want to alert them to his presence. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m a Watcher, and I haven’t the skill-”

“Oh _come on_ , a stake through the heart, a little sunlight, it’s like falling off a log.”

“A Slayer slays, a Watcher-”

“Watches?”

“Yes, er, no. He prepares the Slayer. Trains them for their battle. It is my destiny to guide you. You know that.”

Jimmy shook his head, memories of a similar conversation with Mr. Galloway playing in his head. Jimmy also remembered burying him in an unmarked grave, alone. Tears threatened to well up in his eyes.

“Yeah, well, the last guy they sent to ‘guide’ me...you saw what happened to him.”

“Yes, I know all about it-”

“You don’t know _ANYTHING_ about it!” Jimmy shouted, finally losing his temper, and Mr. Giles looked at him in surprise.

“I was thrown into a school _full_ of future white-collar criminals, psychopaths, and drug dealers. To the surprise of no one, which was because of the influence of a demon, a demon pretending to be _my_ friend. And demons, by the by, are supposed to not exist outside of movies where girls vomit split pea soup onto priests and do nasty things with crucifixes," Jimmy exclaimed, and Giles wrinkled his nose. Jimmy continued, unperturbed at the older man's discomfort. 

And surprise, surprise, I’m the one that’s supposed to fight them. So I do because it’s not like I have anything else better to do in a boarding school than fighting the creatures that want me dead. I train, I hunt. It becomes my whole life. I can do things no other kid can do which is actually kind of crunk; I’m into that. Yay me,” Jimmy said, throwing out his arms as if to say, _aren't I so lucky?_

“So what do I get for it? My grades are the suck, I’ve pushed away from the one friend I managed to make, and even though I saved the school and sent the demons back to hell, I still have to leave for ‘causing trouble,’ my watcher _dies_ in front of me. I can’t even get your people on the phone, so I have to bury him myself,” The tears were spilling over now, and Jimmy wiped them away. They were hot and angry, and Mr. Giles was scowling but not speaking. 

“Where were they? Where was the so-called Council he would spend hours talking about like they were some kind of mythical ghostbusting squad? I needed help, I tried to contact you, and you abandoned me. Why should I trust you now that you’ve shown up?”

“What happened to Lionel was unfortunate-”

“Don’t. You don’t get to say his name,” Jimmy spat in a low growl. 

“He was my friend too!” Mr. Giles said, slamming one of the books Jimmy had placed on the table. Jimmy flinched. 

“We trained together at the Academy. He was a fine man, though not without his vices. I have to know, I know I have no right to ask you this...was he still drinking?” Mr. Giles asked, and Jimmy could hear the pain in his voice.

“Yeah, he was,” Jimmy said softly, then buried his face in his hands, sniffling. He hadn’t talked to anyone about Mr. Galloway, not really. He had pushed Petey away, Zoe wouldn’t listen when he would talk, and Gary was too doped up on meds when they were in Happy Volts together.

“I’m so sorry Jimmy. The Council has asked me to extend their sincere condolences to you. And asked me to pass on a message, that they moved his grave.”

Jimmy’s head shot up.

“Where is he?”

“Here, in Sunnydale. He didn’t have any family to speak of. They wanted you to be able to get closure and to feel close to him. I can take you out there if you’d like...or just give you directions,” Mr. Giles added the last part quickly when he saw Jimmy’s shoulders tense at the thought of going anywhere with the older man.

“I may be overstepping what I can say as a liaison of The Council, but in my humble opinion, we completely failed you. If we had stepped in when your Watcher died, I know you wouldn’t have run away, and you would not have been put in that asylum. But if you’ll give me half a chance, I can assure you, the same mistake won’t be made twice. I’m on your side,” Mr. Giles said and grabbed a box of tissues off the counter to hand to Jimmy.

“I appreciate that,” Jimmy said, taking a few tissues out of the box and wiping his eyes/nose, “But I’m still not convinced. I’m sorry, I have to…” Jimmy trailed off and bailed out the double doors. 

“Damn it,” Mr. Giles said softly and trailed after the boy. Xander stepped out from behind the stacks and stared at the spot Mr. Giles and Jimmy had just been conversing in.

“What the…"

Mr. Giles caught Jimmy before he could put much distance between them and pulled him aside. 

“It’s getting worse,” Mr. Giles said, pushing his glasses back up his nose. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“What, the morals in this country? I agree we need a return to stronger family values.”

“The influx of the undead, the supernatural occurrences, it’s been building for years. There’s a reason why you’re here and a reason why it’s now,” Mr. Giles said in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, because my ex-stepfather was loaded and owned real estate up and down the San Andreas fault line,” Jimmy smirked. Mr. Giles frowned.

“Something is coming, and something is going to happen soon.”

“Oh well, then let’s load up the calvary! Lock up the women and children! Get every horse and hide in a ten-mile radius and clean up the streets!”

“The signs, as far as I can tell, point to a crucial mystical upheaval. Days, possibly less.”

“Come on,” Jimmy said, with a disbelieving look on his face, “This is SUNNYDALE. How bad of evil can there be?” 

* * *

Meanwhile, underneath Sunnydale, the underground church Jimmy saw in his vision was lit by candlelight. Vampires climbed down into it through a tunnel, and a rather muscular one was kneeling in front of a pool of blood that would be the altar, chanting from a book.

“The sleeper will wake,” Luke said, and the vampires behind him began to chant in Latin. He continued.

“The sleeper will wake, and the earth shall bleed,” Luke said and dipped his finger into the blood, “AMEN.” 

* * *

Jimmy stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, feeling a little self-conscious. He was determined to put the conversation he had with Mr. Giles out of his brain, at least for tonight. He pulled an Aquaberry vest out of his closet and held it to his chest.

“Hello, I’m a Young Republican. Would you like to exterminate the middle class and the gays while you’re at it?” Jimmy asked, then frowned, tossing the vest onto the bed.

He pulled a pair of ripped black jeans and a cropped black top next and held it up, “Just call me Al Pacino because I’m Cruising,” Jimmy said, then tossed them down on the bed. If he were looking for some boy-on-boy action tonight, this probably wouldn’t work. This was a club in a sleepy San Andreas town, not a leather bar in Liberty City. 

He heard a knock at the door, and his mom entered, clearly having just gotten home from the gallery. She eyed the outfit choices on the bed, then him.

“Are you going out tonight?” She asked. She sounded unsure like she wasn’t used to asking about Jimmy’s comings and goings which was very true of their relationship.

“Yeah, I’m going to a club,” Jimmy said, fishing out a non-ripped pair of jeans and a maroon button-up out of his closet. He pulled a wifebeater out of his drawer and put it on, and walked into his adjacent bathroom to change.

“Will there be girls there?” His mom asked, her tone teasing.

“No, mom, it’s a monk club,” Jimmy said.

“So there will be _boys_ there then,” His mom said, tone less teasing. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment. This conversation was about to veer into dangerous territory. His mother had found porn magazines in his room shortly before he went to Bullworth, before the fight that got him kicked out of the school he was at before Bullworth. He had a couple of straight ones, but he had a gay one as well. 

They spent at least twenty minutes screaming at each other that day. Jimmy was terrified his mother would send him to one of those conversion camps; meanwhile, she was angry that he had been able to obtain the magazines in the first place. Once Jimmy realized the only reason she was angry was that the bodega down the street sold porn to someone clearly underage, they calmed down and were able to speak to each other in a semi-civil manner. His mother wasn’t thrilled that he was attracted to both men and women and made a passive-aggressive remark about him being ‘greedy’ that Jimmy had decided to let slide because of the circumstances. As long as she was gonna get grandchildren, she would be okay. Jimmy was her son, and she loved him. That’s why the past year had sucked so badly. She had accepted his orientation without much to-do about it. But she still sent him away.

“Wow, call me out like that, why don’t you,” Jimmy said as he combed his hair. His copper locks had grown in a bit over the summer. He was tired of the buzzcut. 

Geneva chuckled.

“Just be careful.” 

“I will,” Jimmy said. 

“I think we’re gonna make it work here. I’ve got my positive energy flowing, and the gallery isn’t a complete dump.”

“That’s great,” Jimmy said, spraying on cologne. Geneva coughed dramatically. Jimmy stuck his head out the door and stuck his tongue out. He swished some mouthwash in his mouth.

“Your friend called,” Geneva said, pulling a file out of her bag and beginning to file her nails. Jimmy spat the mouthwash into the basin and started coughing. 

“What? Who?” Jimmy asked. 

_Please be Zoe. Please be Zoe._

“Peter. You have to talk to him sometime, Jimmy,” His mother chided. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“I know, I know. I’ll call him tomorrow,” Jimmy conceded.

“He was the only nice kid you met at that school. I know I shouldn’t be nagging like this, but-”

“I really wish you wouldn’t,” Jimmy said, walking back into the bedroom. His mother glared at him.

“Well, I’m your mother, and I’m gonna do it anyway. You’re a good kid, Jimmy; I realize that now, you just fell in with the wrong crowd.”

“That’s right. Now I’m just gonna hang out with the living-er. Lively, lively crowd,” Jimmy said. Jimmy’s mom didn’t seem convinced.

“I’ll call him tomorrow,” Jimmy said, wrapping an arm around his mom and kissing her on the top of the head. His mom smiled.

“Alright, I’ll get off your back. Have fun tonight, be careful. Don't stay out too late.”

* * *

Jimmy headed down Revello Drive on his skateboard. His senses were alert on instinct as the night grew darker, and as he crossed streets and alleyways on the way to The Bronze, he could feel eyes on him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he began skating faster, tearing down city streets, trying to escape the unseen figure stalking him. He finally saw the sign for The Bronze and almost wiped out pulling into an adjacent alley. Of course, whoever was following him would probably realize that’s where he was heading.

He looked around in the alley for somewhere to get the jump on whoever it was. Looking up, he smirked at what he saw—a bar extending from one building to another where a sign usually would be occupied. Luckily for him, there wasn’t one. He set his skateboard against one of the buildings' brick walls and lept upwards to catch the bar. 

A shadowy figure quickly headed down the alleyway, following Jimmy’s trail. He stopped almost right underneath the bar Jimmy was hovering above him on. Jimmy gripped the bar, trying to maintain the handstand position he was in. He saw the stranger spy his skateboard against the building, and Jimmy swung down. His feet connected to the back of the stranger’s head, and he went down. Jimmy gracefully dropped from the swing, somersaulting in the air and landing on his feet next to the dropped man. 

“Is there a problem, sir?” The stranger said, attempting to rise from the ground. Jimmy put his foot firmly on the man’s chest. 

“Yeah, there’s a problem. Why are you following me?” Jimmy asked, ready to throw down. He cursed himself for not bringing a stake. Really, he could bring a stake to school, but going out to a club? Completely stake-less. 

“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry. I don’t bite,” The man said. His tone was smarmy, but Jimmy believed him. Jimmy allowed the stranger to rising. No yellow eyes, no bumpy forehead, and no fangs. In fact, the guy was handsome. Younger than Jimmy thought, probably in his early twenties, dressed in dark pants and a dark jacket. There was an intensity in the guy’s gaze that made Jimmy momentarily uncomfortable.

“Truth is, I thought you’d be taller. You’re pretty spry for your build, though,” He said, rubbing the back of his head. Jimmy shook his head.

“Sorry to disappoint, now what do you want?” Jimmy asked. This guy was cutting into his night out, really his first night out of the house since getting out of Happy Volts and coming to Sunnydale. His first night of freedom since Atlantic City. 

_Since Zoe._

“The same thing you do,” The handsome stranger said. Jimmy tilted his head curiously.

“And what do _I_ want?” Jimmy said, momentarily humoring the stranger.

“To kill them, to kill them all,” The stranger said. There was an edge in his voice. Pain, anger, or something like it. It made Jimmy uncomfortable, and he was tired of this. There was an accent in the stranger’s voice. Faint but sounding vaguely familiar. 

_Is he from the damn Council? How many did they send? He’s cuter than Giles…_

Jimmy shook the thought from his head and launched into sarcasm mode.

“Sorry, that’s incorrect, but you do win not getting your teeth kicked in and a year’s supply of turtle wax. What I want is to be left alone!” 

“Do you really think that’s an option anymore? You’re standing at the mouth of Hell,” The stranger said. Jimmy felt a chill run down his spine. The stranger opened his coat and pulled something out of it. He tossed it to Jimmy. It was a small jewelry box. 

“Don’t turn your back on this. You’ve gotta be ready,” The stranger said and began to walk away from Jimmy.

“For what?”

“For the Harvest,” The stranger said, momentarily turning back to answer. 

“Who are you?” Jimmy asked. 

“Let’s just say I’m a friend.”

“I usually know my friend’s names,” Jimmy countered. The stranger’s smarmy smile returned.

“I didn’t say I was yours,” The stranger said, and he walked away, disappearing into the haze of the night. Jimmy looked down at the jewelry box and opened it. It was a silver cross necklace, and he had to admit, it was pretty. 

_Well, it’s not a stake, but it’s a last line of defense._ Jimmy thought as he hooked the clasp around his neck. He pulled the chain down, and the cross settled below his shirt neck. He probably wouldn’t get bitten at The Bronze. Probably. 

He picked up his skateboard and headed towards the club. He paid the cover and showed his ID to the bouncer. The bouncer pointed towards a coat check where he could dump his skateboard. He handed it to the woman working the coat check, smiling gratefully. 

Heading inside, he was suddenly struck by how crowded it was. It was a young crowd, mostly high school and college students. It was dark. The bar was packed, as was the dance floor. He stared across it, and his heart momentarily stopped. Zoe was across the dancefloor and waving at him. He eagerly waved back, but then his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he realized it wasn’t Zoe. It was just a vaguely alternative-looking girl waving at the guy behind him. Jimmy put his hand down to quickly fix his hair self-consciously. He quickly slinked towards the bar. He hoped he would run into Cordelia, but it would be pretty impossible to find her in this crowded place.

He spotted an open chair and walked towards it, and was greeted by a familiar face. Willow smiled at him. 

“Hi,” Willow said. 

“Hey,” Jimmy smiled and, looking at the drink menu, ordered a Shirley Temple from the bartender. 

“Is this seat taken?” He asked. Willow shook her head, and Jimmy sat down.

“No, I thought Xander would show, but he’s not here,” Willow was trying to hide her disappointment.

“Oh, are you two going out?” Jimmy asked. The bartender handed him his drink, and Jimmy handed him some bills. 

“No, we used to, but we broke up,” Willow said. Jimmy made a noise of inquiry as he sucked one of the cherries off his straw. 

“He stole my Barbie,” Willow said, and Jimmy almost choked on the cherry, “We were five,” Willow said quickly.

Jimmy nodded in understanding, appreciating Willow's open dorkiness. It wasn't shrouded in uncomfortable innuendos like with Beatrice or oppressively nauseating like with Algernon and the rest of the Bullworth nerds. Willow had a quiet confidence in her, like she could make anything she said coolly. Jimmy wondered if that was why Cordelia didn't like her so much. Maybe she was threatened by her. 

“I don’t date a whole lot, actually,” Willow said, and Jimmy raised an eyebrow. She tucked her long red hair behind her ear. 

“How come?” He asked. She smiled shyly.

“When I’m with a guy I like, it’s hard for me to say anything cool, or witty, or at all. I usually can make a couple of vowel sounds, then I have to go away,” Willow answered. Jimmy frowned internally. This girl really did not know how pretty she was.

“You probably wouldn’t understand, she said, turning to face the bar again, frowning. 

“Why wouldn’t I understand?”

“I don’t mean...you just don’t seem too shy. Plus, you’re a guy, so it’s easy for you.”

“Yeah, real easy,” Jimmy muttered, trying desperately to put thoughts of Zoe out of his head. 

“I’m sorry if that sounded insulting,” Willow offered, “I’ve just heard…”

“And now I’ve gotta do damage control. Go ahead, lay it on me Red, lightning round of the gossip about me so I can clear it up,” Jimmy said, and Willow turned to face him, looking a bit frightened. “I promise I won’t be insulted,” Jimmy added, smiling. Willow seemed hesitant but spoke anyway.

“O-okay. Um....you got kicked out of your last school, which was this really hardcore boarding school. You stabbed a teacher, led a riot of students against the administration, and burned the gym down. You ran away to Atlantic City after and were put in a mental institution when you came home. Also, you’re gay,” Willow said the last part quietly.

“Wow, alright. I promised the truth,” Jimmy said, momentarily stunned at how news travels as fast and far as it does. Jimmy counted on his fingers as he listed off the accuracies and inaccuracies of what Willow just said, “The first one is true, the second one is false, he was dying already when I found him,” Jimmy said, the pang of that memory still fresh in his mind. Willow's eyes widened in surprise and made a startled noise of sympathy, momentarily reaching out to touch Jimmy but stopping herself, the act too intimate for two people that weren't exactly friends yet. Jimmy smiled sadly.

“He was a good man. The third is out of context. The riot was already happening; I just turned it around to focus on what the kids were really mad at. Fourth is false; a va-townie started that fire, I was framed. The fifth and sixth are true, I ran away to Atlantic City with my girlfriend, but she broke up with me while we were there because she wanted to go home. My mom put me in a mental institution because she was scared I was gonna hurt myself,” Jimmy said. He hadn’t said any of this out loud to anyone, and it felt good to vent. 

“And no, I’m not gay,” Jimmy said quietly, “But can you keep a secret?” He asked, whispering. Willow nodded seriously, and he looked around to see if anyone could hear him.

“I play for both teams,” He said. Willow’s eyes widened in shock again for a moment, but then a big smile splashed across her face. 

“So, that’s my life story. Does it make you wanna run off, screaming into the night?” Jimmy asked, gesturing towards the door. Willow shook her head.

“No, just means you’re weird enough to be my friend. Which is an honor I do not grant lightly,” Willow said. She took the straw out of her own drink and mimed knighting Jimmy. He bowed graciously. 

“Well, thank you, I could use a few of those here,” Jimmy said, laughing.

_Not gonna make the same mistakes as I did at Bullworth. I’m gonna have real friends here, not just kids who I scare into submission._

“Now that we’re friends, I'll let you in on my philosophy. Do you wanna hear it?”

Willow nodded.

“Seize the moment. Stop worrying if a guy is gonna like you, or if he’s gonna laugh at you because tomorrow you might be dead. Trust me, even though I’m devastatingly handsome and charming, I get rejected twice as much as normal people do because of,” Jimmy mouthed the word ‘bisexuality.’ Willow nodded, “But I gotta let it just roll off and keep going. I’ve been mooning over my ex, but I decided not to do that anymore and go out tonight. And hey, look at me, I made a friend.”

“Seize the moment,” Willow said, contemplating it in her head. 

Jimmy looked around, there was a balcony above them, and he was going to ask Willow if they could move up there so they could talk more, but he spied a familiar tweed jacket. Mr. Giles was staring down at him with a disapproving glare. Jimmy’s good mood suddenly soured. Willow sensed his mood shift and tried to find Jimmy’s eyes with her own.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Jimmy said, standing up. Willow frowned.

“That’s okay; you don’t have to come back. I’ll see you tomorrow, secrets safe and all,” Willow said, holding up her pinky for a swear.

Jimmy gave her a lopsided grin and looped his pinky around hers, “I’ll be back in a minute,”

“Seize the moment,” Willow said to herself again as Jimmy headed up the stairs to the balcony. After squeezing through a crowd of teenagers, he reached Mr. Giles. The older man was looking at him rather intensely.

“You know, the faculty member at my last school that partied with students turned out to be a total creep,” Jimmy said. Mr. Giles rolled his eyes.

“Right, this is me having fun. I’d rather be at home with a cup of Bovril and a good book,” Mr. Giles spat. 

“There is no way you are that old. Okay, Tweedy, I’m here, present and accounted for. Now what are _you_ doing here?”

“This is the perfect breeding ground for vampire activity. It’s dark, it’s crowded, and I knew you would show up here. I needed to warn you-”

“That the Harvest is coming. Yeah, I heard it already. You’ve been beaten to the punch,” Jimmy said. Mr. Giles looked at him curiously.

“What did you say?”

“The Harvest? Does it mean anything to you because I’m drawing a blank and your friend was stingy on the details.”

“I’m not sure. Who did you say told you this?”

“Your friend? Tall, dark, gorgeous in an annoying Bruce Wayne kind of way. I thought maybe he was one of the younger, more attractive Council members?”

“No, I’m the only one here. They left after they moved Lionel’s grave a couple of weeks ago. Certainly, none of them fit that description. Did he say anything else?” 

“Something about the mouth of Hell, I _really_ didn’t like him,” Jimmy said, maybe trying to convince himself of that last part. He walked to the edge and put his hands on the railing of the balcony, watching the kids below dancing, having fun. He wished he were one of them. He could be down there, dancing with Willow or Cordelia. Or maybe the handsome stranger if he wasn’t so hellbent on killing vampires too. Giles moved closer and spoke into his ear.

“Look at them, throwing themselves about. Completely unaware of the danger that surrounds them,” He said. 

“Lucky them,” Jimmy muttered.

“Or, maybe perhaps you’re right, maybe there is no trouble coming, the signs could be wrong. It’s not as though you’ve been having the nightmares,” Mr. Giles said, and Jimmy felt his heart drop to his stomach.

* * *

Cordelia was standing in front of her friends down below the catwalk, regaling her captive audience with a tale of her home life. Aura and Aphrodesia seemed to be in better spirits, though Aura was clinging to a throw pillow on the couch for dear life, and Blue was fanning herself with a bar menu. 

“My mom doesn’t even get out of bed anymore. The doctor says it’s Epstein Barr, and I’m like, please; It’s chronic hepatitis or chronic fatigue syndrome. I mean, _nobody_ cool has Epstein Barr anymore.”

“Cordelia,” Jesse called, approaching. Her friends sneered in disapproval. 

“Oh _yay_ , it’s my stalker,” She sneered.

“Hey, you look great,” Jesse said, giving her an approving nod once over. 

“Well, I’m glad we could have this little chat,” Cordelia said, trying to dismiss him. Jesse wasn’t getting the hint, and it was pissing her off.

“Listen um, you know, do you wanna dance?” Jesse mimed some disco moves, and Cordelia eyed him with disdain.

“With you?”

“Well, uh, yeah,” Jesse said, smiling.

“Well, uh, no,” Cordelia answered. Jesse frowned momentarily as Cordelia and her friends sauntered off back to the bar. 

“That’s alright, plenty of other fish in the sea. Oh yeah, I’m on the prowl. Witness me, prowling,” Jesse said, looking around. A pretty blonde in a black plaid skirt sitting in a suspended chair smiled at him from across the dancefloor. His face brightened up as she motioned for him to come over. 

* * *

“I never said definitively that I’d never slay another vampire; I just don’t want the job anymore. It’s not like I’m voting yes on a pro-vampire ballot. If I run into one and they try to get bitey, sure I'll-'' Jimmy made a staking motion, but Mr. Giles cut him off.

“But will you be ready? There’s so much you don’t know about them, about your own powers. A vampire appears completely normal until their feed is upon them. Only then do they reveal their true demonic visage.”

“Thanks, SparkNotes,” Jimmy said, rolling his eyes.

“ _The point is_ a Slayer should be able to see one anyway. Sense them, without looking, without thinking. Could you tell me if a vampire is in this building right now?”

Jimmy was too stunned to speak for a moment, “Maybe,” He said quietly.

“You should know,” Mr. Giles said, “Even in this mass, this din, you should be able to sense them. Go ahead, reach out with your mind.”

Jimmy scanned the kids in the crowd, begrudgingly doing what Giles said.

“You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you. ‘Til you can feel with every particle of-”

“There’s one,” Jimmy said, pointing to a pale, dark-haired teen in a dark jacket by the bar.

“What? Where?” Mr. Giles said, trying to follow Jimmy’s gesture.

“Right there, talking to that girl.”

“You don’t know,” Mr. Giles tried to say, but Jimmy looked at him with an _oh, please_ expression.

“Look at his jacket. He’s got the sleeves rolled up and the shirt,” Jimmy gestured to the very loud Hawaiian shirt the vampire was wearing under the jacket, “All he needs is mullet, and he’s DeBarge."

“It’s dated?” Giles asked. Jimmy nodded.

“Carbon. Trust me; he's feeling more than the rhythm of the night if you get my meaning,” 

“I do, but you didn’t hone,” Mr. Giles said, about to launch into another lecture when Jimmy spied the girl the vampire was chatting up.

“Oh no,” Jimmy said in alarm. Mr. Giles looked down and had a similar reaction.

“Is that-”

“Willow,” Jimmy said.

“What is she doing?”

“Seizing the moment,” Jimmy said, mentally kicking himself for putting her in that situation in the first place as he headed back down the stairs. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Jesse was talking to the gal in the suspended chair. It was the first run of good luck he had experienced in a while. She was beautiful, a little older than him, maybe? It was hard to tell in the darkness. Her voice was light and airy, and she spoke like a dream.

“I can’t believe I’ve never seen you around,” Jesse said, propped up against the chair, doing his best to listen to her speak, “What did you say your name was?”

“Darla,” She said, swishing around in the chair a bit, smiling. Not at him though, it almost seemed like she was in another place. It made him a bit uncomfortable. 

“Are you from around here?” Jesse asked. She didn’t have a San Andreas accent, that was for sure. 

“No, but I have family here.”

“Do I know them?”

Darla smirked.

“You probably will,” She said. She suddenly stood up, and Jesse felt a twinge of disappointment. 

_Another one, just running away from me._

Darla surprised him by twisting his fingers into her own. She smiled up at him.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” She asked. Jesse felt his face grow hot, and he couldn’t say anything for a moment. Instead, he just nodded. 

* * *

Jimmy raced down to the bar but couldn’t spot Willow anywhere, Mr. Giles hot on his heels. He turned around and began scanning the rest of the crowd. Mr. Giles was talking to him, but Jimmy wasn’t listening. Jimmy thought he spotted a dark-haired male heading towards the back exit near the bathrooms, and he took off. He parted the crowd as quickly as he could and raced into the hallway. It was dark, a few neon blacklights illuminating black walls with posters of local bands plastered on the walls. He spied a few wooden chairs stacked against the wall, and he snapped a leg off the closest one to him.

A noise behind him startled him, and he was relieved that his reflexes were better than he thought. Otherwise, he would have just staked Cordelia. Cordelia stared into his startled gaze, oblivious to the fact that she was nearly skewered, and chuckled. Jimmy tucked the improvised stake into the back of his pants.

“The men’s restroom is down the hall, bright eyes,” She said. Jimmy’s anxiety deflated.

“Jesus Cordelia, give a man a heart attack,” He said. Aura and Aphrodesia were giggling behind her. Jimmy stepped back and let them pass.

“Did you see Willow come back through here?” Jimmy asked, biting the bullet. Cordelia’s expression quickly shifted to one of disdain, and Jimmy knew he had to come up with something quick.

“It’s an emergency. I saw a guy put something in her drink. I was up on the balcony, and I couldn’t get to her in time,” Jimmy said, beginning to babble. Cordelia’s expression softened, then righteous anger filled her gaze.

“I didn’t, I’m sorry. God, that’s fucking slimy. I know Willow’s smart, but I guess no one taught her to keep an eye on her drinks. Do you want me to call the cops? Or have the bartender shut the place down? I can do that, you know, daddy’s friends with the owner,” Cordelia said, and Jimmy suddenly felt that her queen bee bitchy attitude might be a put on. Aura and Aphrodesia both pulled out cell phones, and Blue headed towards the bar. Their expressions were serious.

“I don’t think we have time. They’ve gotta be long gone by now. I know I can find her if I just-” Jimmy started, but Cordelia put her hand in his face. She pulled a scrap piece of paper out of her purse and wrote her number down on it. 

“That’s my cell. If you don’t call in fifteen minutes, I’m coming after you. Find her. Now.” Cordelia said, her face and intonation deadly serious. Jimmy nodded and raced back into the bar. Mr. Giles flanked him and began asking all kinds of questions.

“Well done, that was excellent timing, now I’ve got to get back to my books. This Harvest affair-”

“I didn’t find her,” Jimmy cried out unexpectedly. He hadn’t expected to get this emotional, but Willow was a good person. She didn’t deserve to be vamp-food. Jimmy could picture her smiling yearbook photo on the front page of the Sunnydale Gazette. ‘Local Honor Student, Missing, Presumed Dead.’

“The vampire is not dead,” Mr. Giles clarified.

“No, but my social life is on the critical list if I don't find her,” 

“What do we do?” 

“I’ll take care of it,” Jimmy said, heading towards the coat check to get his skateboard. He handed the smiling woman his ticket, and she grinned at him, handing him his skateboard back. Mr. Giles frowned at it, and Jimmy rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that night.

“Do I need to come with you?” Mr. Giles asked. Jimmy shook his head.

“Don’t worry. One vampire isn’t enough to trounce me,” Jimmy said, then exited The Bronze quickly. He was about to pick up traction on his skateboard when he almost crashed into Xander, who was staring at him like he had grown a fourth head.

“Hey, nice board. You’re leaving already?” Xander asked. Jimmy huffed impatiently. He didn’t have time for another cover story.

“Yeah, something bad happened. Long story short, Willow took off with a guy-” Jimmy started, but Xander cut him off.

“We’re talking about _Willow_ here? Scoring at The Bronze, work it, girl-”

“Xander, she’s in danger! Where would she _go_?” Jimmy practically shouted. Realization dawned over Xander. 

“This is serious…” Xander drawled, his mind slowly comprehending the fact that monsters exist.

“If we don’t find her, there’s gonna be one more dead body in the morning,” Jimmy said. 

“There’s an ice cream bar a few blocks up; just go past the cemetery. This wouldn’t happen to be a _vampire_ problem, would it?”

Jimmy didn’t have time to ponder how Xander knew that; he just took off on his skateboard. Xander followed en suite, but their path was blocked by a black convertible pulling out in front of them. 

“I don’t wanna wait; get in,” Cordelia demanded. Jimmy quickly hopped in the front and Xander in the back. She was sans-Cordettes, and sans-drivers license, but they didn’t have to know the last part.

“Did you say vampire problem?” Cordelia asked as they drove out of the alley. Xander looked at Jimmy, and Jimmy sighed. There were too many civilians involved now. 

“Long story,” Jimmy replied.

“Uh-huh. Yeaaah, first she was drugged, now she’s being attacked by vampires. Are you sure you’re not the one on drugs?” Cordelia asked. Jimmy and Xander both shot her annoyed glances, and Jimmy pulled the stake out of the back of his pants. Cordelia and Xander both stared at it with wide gazes; then Jimmy shoved it into a front pocket of his jeans.

“So...you really are the Slayer? I accidentally eavesdropped on you and the new librarian earlier, and…” Xander trailed off when Jimmy just nodded.

“What’s a Slayer?” Cordelia asked, confused. Jimmy tapped the stake in his pocket and pointed at the cemetery they were passing. 

“Oh, like VAMPIRE slayer. Still not conv-,” She said, and spying something inside the cemetery, firmly slammed on her brakes. Xander almost flew into the windshield, but Jimmy held him back. 

“Cordelia what the-”

“Shut up and look,” She pointed, and they were just in time to see Willow get tossed into an open crypt by the DeBarge-looking vampire.

“Shit,” Jimmy said, jumping out of the car, Xander following behind. Cordelia parked and began getting out when Jimmy put his hand on her arm.

“No. You stay here.” 

“What? No way!” Cordelia said, snatching her arm away. 

“She could be hurt. We may need a ride to the hospital. Stay here, put your top up, lock the doors, and be ready to ride when we come running. Can you do that?” Jimmy asked. Cordelia looked at him seriously as if she was staring into his soul. It made Jimmy uncomfortable for a moment, and she nodded her head. Jimmy and Xander raced through the cemetery entrance. Cordelia rolled her windows up and pressed another button and listened to the thump of the soft top go into place above her. She then locked the doors and stared out the window, hoping Jimmy knew what he was doing. 

“That wasn’t funny!” Willow shouted at Thomas, who was now entering the crypt, staring at her predatorily. 

“Looked pretty funny,” An airy, female voice behind her spoke. Willow turned around and was greeted by Darla, smiling at her hungrily. Jesse was behind her, leaning against the sepulcher in the middle of the room, hand on his neck. It was bleeding. 

“Oh my god, Jesse,” Willow rushed to him, and he collapsed in her arms.

“She gave me a hickey,” Jesse said weakly, not comprehending the wound on his neck from where Darla had fed on him. 

“We’re leaving,” Willow said suddenly and tried to carry Jesse past the two vampires. Darla shook her head.

“Leave us alone!” Willow cried. Darla cocked her head.

“You’re not going anywhere until we’ve FED!” Darla said, her visage changing to absolutely monstrous. All fangs, bumpy forehead, and glittering eyes. Willow screamed and braced for impact as Darla tore Jesse from her arms when-

“Gotta say, you really should fire your decorator,” Jimmy said, walking in like he owned the place. Xander followed cautiously, staying in the entrance. His eyes widened when he saw the two vampires in game face, and he tried to call Jesse and Willow to him nonverbally. 

“Who the hell are you?” Darla asked, and she and Jimmy began circling each other. 

“You mean there’s actually someone in this town who doesn’t know? Whoosh, a big relief. I’m telling you, this Clark Kent gig has NOT been going well for me so far.”

“Jimmy, we bail now, right?”

“Not yet,” Thomas answered, having maneuvered behind Jimmy while he and Darla were circling each other. Xander gulped and stared at Willow and Jesse helplessly.

“Okay, first of all,” Jimmy said, turning to Thomas, “What is with that outfit. This ain’t Soul Train dude, and you’re way too pale to be DeBarge,” Jimmy turned back to Darla.

“Now, we can do this the hard way or...nope. Just the hard way.”

“Fine by me,” Darla said, moving towards him predatorily. 

“You sure? This is gonna be a hard R for violence, strong language, adult content…” Jimmy was suddenly rushed from behind by Thomas, but he quickly whipped his stake out and stuck it behind him for Thomas to impale himself on. Jimmy felt it enter the vampire’s heart and quickly yanked it out. Xander winced, and Thomas stared down at the gaping hole in his chest before he fell to the floor and exploded into dust.

Darla stared at Jimmy in shock for a moment.

“Scratch that, NC-17.”

“He was young and stupid,” Darla hissed, and they began circling each other again. Jimmy noticed Darla’s elongated fangs gave her a slight lisp and tried not to laugh.

“Heh, okay, thtupid,” Jimmy mocked. Anger burned behind Darla’s eyes, and he ducked a swipe of her claws.

“Jimmy, we bail now, right?” Xander repeated.

“Get them out of here,” Jimmy said as Darla pounced on him. They began to fight, a flurry of punches and kicks as Xander and Willow carried Jesse out of the crypt. 

“Don’t go far!” Darla cooed, momentarily distracted by the departing teenagers, and was rewarded by a jaw-rocking punch from Jimmy that sent her sprawling across the crypt. 

“You know, I just wanted to start over here. Make some new friends, maybe get a dog. But no, you had to come here. You couldn’t go suck on some other town?”

Darla whipped her head up and spat out blood, staring at Jimmy in surprise, “Who are you?” She asked. Jimmy grinned cockily.

“Don’t you know?” He asked and was answered by a hand picking him up by the scruff of the neck. 

“I don’t care,” A deep voice rumbled in his ear as he struggled. He was lifted into the air like a sack of potatoes and heaved across the crypt as if he was weightless. He crashed into a column near the door, and hot damn did that fucking hurt.

“You were supposed to be bringing offerings for The Master. We’re almost at Harvest, and you dally with this child?”

“We had someone, but he killed Thomas. Luke, he’s strong,” Darla pleaded. Luke looked across the crypt as Jimmy slowly climbed to his feet, shaking off the pain of being tossed like a shot put. Luke cocked his head curiously, then yanked Darla to her feet. 

“You go; I’ll see if I can handle the little boy,” Luke grinned. Darla considered her options, then rushed past Jimmy quickly out the door. Jimmy rushed Luke with punches and a kick that would have put any other monster had faced down. 

“You’re strong,” Luke said. Then punched Jimmy in the face, sending him sprawling into the sepulcher. 

“I’m stronger.”

* * *

Xander and Willow raced towards the entrance of the cemetery, struggling to keep Jesse upright. 

“Come on, we have to get to Cordelia’s car,” Xander said, his arm around Jesse’s waist almost giving way.

“Cordelia?!” Willow shouted in confusion (and a little disgust on the side for flavor), and almost on cue, she heard a car honking ahead of them. They weren’t far now. She looked up to see Cordelia’s face, frantically yelling and pointing, blaring on her horn. But they couldn’t hear what she was saying until it was far too late. Jesse was suddenly yanked back to the ground by his hair, sending Xander and Willow tumbling to the ground. Darla stood above them, hissing maniacally, her fangs dripping with drool. She yanked Jesse away from them and shoved Willow to the ground roughly when she wouldn’t let go. 

Darla was flanked by two other vampires who began dragging Willow and Xander in opposite directions as Darla pulled Jesse away. Their helpless screams carried into Cordelia’s car, and she snapped out of the fugue state she was in. Screw this; just because they were losers doesn’t mean they had to die. She pulled the taser out of her bag and began to unlock her doors when a pair of glowing yellow eyes stared into her driver’s side door. Cordelia was face to face with a vampire who was grinning at her maniacally, baring his teeth. Cordelia screamed and locked her doors back. Suddenly, the vampire’s face disappeared. 

Cordelia looked around frantically. Where the hell did it _go_?

* * *

Back in the crypt, Jimmy and Luke were circling each other on opposite sides of the sepulcher. Jimmy was much less confident in his vampire-slaying abilities now. How the hell was he gonna dust this absolute mammoth of a vamp? 

“You’re wasting my time,” Luke said, moving towards the sepulcher. Jimmy backed away.

“Hey, I'd rather be in grope city with the hot girl that invited me out tonight than here right now,” Jimmy said, and Luke suddenly tossed the concrete topper of the sepulcher at him like it weighed nothing. Jimmy dodged it, then leaped forward in a half cartwheel, gripping the side of the sepulcher as he kicked Luke on his descent. Luke landed hard against the crypt wall behind him. Jimmy quickly snatched the makeshift stake off the ground and tried to slam it home, but Luke grabbed it. He snapped it in Jimmy’s hand then grabbed Jimmy by the collar, pulling him in almost intimately close. 

“Do you think you can stop me? Stop us? You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” Luke said, then started intoning from a prophecy well known to him that Giles was currently researching in the library as well.

“And like a plague of boils, the race of man covered the Earth. But on the third day of the newest light, shall come The Harvest”. 

Giles sat up in his chair, a jolt of unease coursing through him as he found the passage he was searching for. 

“When the blood of men will flow like wine,” Giles muttered aloud, writing it down in his notes.

“When the Master will walk amongst them once more,” Luke hissed through his teeth, “The Earth will belong to the old ones.”

“And hell itself will come to town,” Luke rumbled. Jimmy whimpered in fright, and Luke tossed him, once again, like a ragdoll. He flew into the air and came to rest on the edge of the sepulcher, pain shooting up his spine as he fell from it onto the floor. Luke quickly closed the distance between them, tossing Jimmy inside the sepulcher. Jimmy laid there for a second, momentarily dazed. He turned his head and was greeted by a skeleton in a rather ornate garb. He yelped in fright and tried to sit up. He looked around to see if Luke was still standing there. For a moment, it seemed Luke was gone. He went to stand up but was forced back down when Luke suddenly jumped inside. 

“Amen,” Luke said, his hands on Jimmy’s chest forcing him back down. Jimmy screamed, clawing and kicking out, trying to find purchase on Luke’s body to connect a blow, but only able to succeed in kicking the wall of the sepulcher. He squeezed his eyes shut as Luke’s fangs lowered themselves to his throat.


End file.
